One of the more controversial posts here of late has been the Swedish Death Cleaning proposal. Not only has this received a sensible number of hits, but has made me and others consider what we may be doing and in some cases it has generated a bit of a backlash. I suppose my thinking is for me (and suggest to others) to question the what’s and whys of where the hobby is going. This in conjunction with considering how we deal with this on a personal level.
This is all with the background chatter of the demise of Hattons and the Warley show shenanigans among other trials and tribulations. I’m far from saying (as some in the forum-sphere) that this is the end of the hobby as even of late the fairly buoyant atmosphere at the Southampton show would suggest that we are far from being on the bones of our arses. There is however a subtle shift in play and my own feeling is that this is not unconnected with cost considerations. So if that’s the hobby as a whole, where does that leave me? Well relatively untouched it would seem; my actual modelling in the very short term is funded by someone else (although we are certainly into piper and tune territory) and I have plenty of things in the cupboard. And there’s the rub right there; we are back to the opening sentence.
What I am definitely aiming for is an empty cupboard – well not so much empty as completed. The aim… is not to buy anything else, only in regard to finishing things off. Though the wheels may come off that point fairly quickly. The forward motion is very much one of a series of small-ish projects that would be easily completed and would be centred around using what is in hand with the afore mentioned ‘only buying to complete’ and not buying for a new project. These may form into an idea which has been well documented on these pages and is also fairly close to a certain local modeller’s recent system.
In a nutshell: use the general concept of the AotC (6 x 1′ layout with a common new FY) and construct a series of home/exhibition pieces at the rate of one per year which would probably see me either retired or in a wooden box – delete as appropriate. We are into the ‘pills for life’ gag as there are really only about five or so possible ideas. This is at present just possible forward move (there is much to clear from the bench first) I may just call the exhibition layouts and make sheds from Wills sheet from now on or build a proper train set.